Thailand plans to collect so-called "Asean road tolls" from foreign motorists entering the country via border checkpoints from the end of next year.

Increasing travel on the Southeast Asian mainland has led to more road maintenance and safety concerns, the government says.

A study into toll collection, being conducted by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, is expected to be completed in the next month and it will take less than a year to gain state approval and amend laws to allow the new charges, the office's deputy chief Wilairat Sirisophonsin said Monday.

In January next year, the Transport Ministry will be asked to look at the study results before forwarding the findings to the cabinet for a final say, she said.

According to a preliminary study, toll collections would be introduced in three phases. In the first three years, the tolls will be applied only to foreign four-wheel vehicles passing through 28 border checkpoints, from Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.

Motorists would have to pay a 100-baht fee for an electronic tag which would be valid for five years, as well as a toll of 42 baht per trip, Ms Wilairat said.

In the first phase, her office plans to use a Radio Frequency Identification System to monitor cars at the 28 checkpoints.

From the fourth to seventh years, a Global Positioning System will be used to allow officials to precisely track the whereabouts of cars.

If they want to reduce the "wear and tear" on the roads all they need to do is monitor and penalize all the overweight trucks on the roads. Oh but that would be more trouble than standing at a border crossing and charging a fee. Have they ever considered mobile enforcement which would put the officers in vehicles and force them to patrol the roads? Now that may be real work as they couldn't just stand around to do at one of their road blocks.

What about the foreign residents and tourists who burn up the concrete and asphalt. A higher road tax for foreigners is obviously indicated. Not to mention the wear and tear to the immaculately maintained sidewalks by the heavy-footed farangs. A pedestrian tax for farangs is another obvious need.

....."In the second phase, between the fourth and seventh years of implementation, Wilairat said a GPS system would be installed on foreign vehicles to track their locations and routes. The 42-baht toll would becomes distance-based, with a proposed fee of 1.5 baht per kilometer."......

They're only copying what the Malaysian government is implementing at the end of this year. After the Malaysian announcement, Singapore responded with reciprocal charges.
This time it's not a law thought up behind closed doors by the Thai government.

Singapore has been doing this for years for all Malaysian vehicles passing through. Includes motorcycles. Talked to a Malaysian building contractor last time I was back in Singapore, he is charged SGD 50 per day, and he drives into and out of Singapore every day. He said it is cheaper to do that than to maintain a vehicle in Singapore, and he seems to make enough to justify this cost.
Last time I passed through a land border over 30 years ago at Sadao, every single passenger on the bus handed over 30 baht to 'smooth' things over with passport control. Methinks some GIGs (guys in green) want the whole pie.. and what better way to do it than legalise it?
An entry fee, I have no qualms with that. There are other hoops to jump through with bringing a vehicle across borders, like insurance and roadworthiness in said countries.. However, 1.50 baht per kilometer is highway robbery, even by Singapore standards..
One wonders what mandates she may have been given to work with?

this is just another example of oneupmanship greed. wouldn’t it be nice if we could all raise our incomes so easily. road maintenance is supported by petrel tax that is paid at the pump. plus everyone visiting the country pays VAT on what they spend. then every Thai earning money from the visitors pays VAT again on that same money when they spend it, on and on to infinity. and maybe income tax too. the government already collects a lot of tax on every baht every visitor brings into the country and puts into circulation.